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Hugh the Great

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For other uses, seeHugh the Great (disambiguation).
Hugh the Great
Duke of the Franks
Hugh as depicted in a 14th centuryfamily treeof theRobertians
Count of Paris
Reign923–956
PredecessorRobert I of France
SuccessorHugh Capet
Bornc. 898
Paris
Died16 June 956
Dourdan
Burial
Basilica of Saint-Denis
SpouseJudith
Eadhild
Hedwig of Saxony
IssueBeatrice of France
Hugh Capet
Emma of Paris, Duchess of Normandy
Otto, Duke of Burgundy
Henry I, Duke of Burgundy
HouseRobertians
FatherRobert I of France
MotherBeatrice of Vermandois

Hugh the Great(c. 898[1]– 16 June 956) was theduke of the Franksandcount of Paris.He was the most powerful magnate in France.

Son of KingRobert I of France,Hugh was Margrave of Neustria. He played an active role in bringing King Louis d'Outremer back from England in 936. Seeking an alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor,Otto the Great,he married Otto's younger sister,Hedwig of Saxonyin 937. They were the parents ofHugh Capet.Hedwig's sister,Gerberga of Saxony,was the wife ofLouis IV of France.Although he often fought with Louis, he supported the accession of Louis and Gerberga's son,Lothair of France.

Biography

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Hugh was the son of King Robert I of France andBéatrice of Vermandois.[2]He was born inParis,Île-de-France,France.His eldest son wasHugh Capetwho becameKing of Francein 987.[3]His family is known as theRobertians.[4]

In 922 the barons ofWestern Francia,after revolting against theCarolingianKingCharles the Simple(who fled his kingdom under their onslaught), elected Robert I, Hugh's father, as king of Western Francia.[5]At the death of Robert I, in battle atSoissonsin 923, Hugh refused the crown and it went to his brother-in-lawRudolph.[5]Charles sought help in regaining his crown from Hugh's cousin CountHerbert II of Vermandois,who instead of helping the king imprisoned him.[5]Herbert then used his prisoner as an advantage in pressing his own ambitions, using the threat of releasing the king up until Charles' death in 929.[6]From then on Herbert II of Vermandois struggled with King Rudolph and Duke Hugh.[5]Finally Rudolph and Herbert II came to an agreement in 935.[5]

At the death of Rudolph in 936, Hugh was in possession of nearly all of the region between theLoireand theSeine,corresponding to the ancientNeustria,with the exceptions of Anjou and of the territory ceded to theNormansin 911.[7]He took a very active part in bringing KingLouis IV(d'Outremer) from theKingdom of Englandin 936.[8] Historians have wondered why the powerful Hugh the Great called the young Louis to throne instead of taking it himself, as his father had done fifteen years earlier. In the first place, he had many rivals, especiallyHugh, Duke of Burgundy(King Rudolph's brother) andHerbert II, Count of Vermandoiswho probably would have challenged his election. But above all, it seems that he was shocked by the early death of his father.Richerusexplains that Hugh the Great remembered his father who had died for his "pretentions" and this was the cause of his short and turbulent reign.[9]

In 937 Hugh's second wife, Eadhild, died. Later that year, he marriedHedwige of Saxony,a daughter of KingHenry the Fowlerof Germany andMatilda.Soon after this, his third marriage, he was drawn into a prolonged quarrel with Louis IV.[10][11]

In 938 King Louis IV began attacking fortresses and lands formerly held by members of his family, some held by Herbert II of Vermandois.[12]In 939 king Louis attacked Hugh the Great and DukeWilliam Longswordof Normandy, after which a truce was concluded, lasting until June.[13]That same year Hugh, along with Count Herbert II of Vermandois, CountArnulf I of Flandersand Duke William Longsword paid homage to theEmperorOtto the Great,and supported him in his struggle against Louis.[14]

When Louis fell into the hands of theNormansin 945, he was handed over to Hugh in exchange for their young duke Richard.[15]Hugh released Louis IV in 946 on condition that he should surrender the fortress ofLaon.[16]In 948 at a church council atIngelheimthe bishops, all but two being from Germany, condemned and excommunicated Hughin absentia,and returned ArchbishopArtauldto his See at Reims.[17]Hugh's response was to attack Soissons and Reims while the excommunication was repeated by a council atTrier.[17]In 953 Hugh finally relented and made peace with Louis IV, the church and his brother-in-law Otto the Great.[17]

On the death of Louis IV, Hugh was one of the first to recognizeLothairas his successor, and, at the intervention of Lothair's mother,Gerberga of Saxony,was instrumental in having him crowned.[17]In recognition of this service Hugh was invested by the new king with the duchies ofBurgundyandAquitaine.[18]In the same year, however, DukeGilbert of Burgundyacknowledged himself his vassal and betrothed his daughter to Hugh's sonOtto-Henry.[10][18]At Giselbert's death (8 April 956) Hugh became effective master of the duchy,[10]but on 16 June Hugh died inDourdan.[2]

Family

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Hugh married first, in 922, Judith, daughter ofRoger, Count of Maine,and his wifeRothilde,a daughter of EmperorCharles the Bald.[2]She died childless in 925.[2]

Hugh's second wife wasEadhild,daughter ofEdward the Elder,king of the Anglo-Saxons, and half-sister of KingÆthelstan.[2]They married in 926 and she died in 937, childless.[2]

Hugh's married his third wife,Hedwig of Saxony,daughter ofHenry the FowlerandMatilda,in 937. She and Hugh had:

References

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  1. ^Linda Seidel,Legends in Limestone: Lazarus, Gislebertus, and the Cathedral of Autun,(University of Chicago Press, 1999), 67.
    Widukind (of Corvey),Deeds of the Saxons,transl.Bernard S. Bachrach and David S. Bachrach, (The Catholic University of America Press, 2014), 43.
  2. ^abcdefgDetlev Schwennicke,Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten,Neue Folge, Band II (Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, Marburg, Germany, 1984), Tafeln 10-11
  3. ^Jim Bradbury,The Capetians: Kings of France, 987-1328(Hambledon Continuum, London & New York, 2007), p. 69
  4. ^Lucien Bély,The History of France( J.P. Gisserot, Paris, 2001), p. 21
  5. ^abcdePierre Riché,The Carolingians; A Family who Forged Europe,Trans. Michael Idomir Allen (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1993), p.250
  6. ^Pierre Riché,The Carolingians; A Family who Forged Europe,Trans. Michael Idomir Allen (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1993), pp.250-1
  7. ^Elizabeth M. Hallam,Capetian France; 987-1328(Longman Group Ltd., London & New York, 1980), p. 89
  8. ^The Annals of Flodoard of Reims: 919-966,Ed. & Trans. Stephen Fanning & Bernard S. Bachrach (University of Toronto Press, 2011), p. xvii
  9. ^Sot, Michel. "Hérédité royale et pouvoir sacré avant 987",Annales ESC,n° 43, 1988, pp. 705–733
  10. ^abcOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Hugh".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 857–858.
  11. ^Pierre Riché,The Carolingians; A Family who Forged Europe,Trans. Michael Idomir Allen (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1993), p.262
  12. ^The Annals of Flodoard of Reims; 919-966,Ed. & Trans. Steven Fanning & Bernard S. Bachrach (University of Toronto Press, 2011), p. 30
  13. ^The Annals of Flodoard of Reims; 919-966,Ed. & Trans. Steven Fanning & Bernard S. Bachrach (University of Toronto Press, 2011), p. 31
  14. ^The Annals of Flodoard of Reims; 919-966,Ed. & Trans. Steven Fanning & Bernard S. Bachrach (University of Toronto Press, 2011), p. 32
  15. ^David Crouch,The Normans(Hambledon Continuum, London & New York, 2007), p. 16
  16. ^Jim Bradbury,The Capetians: Kings of France, 987-1328(Hambledon Continuum, London & New York, 2007), p. 40
  17. ^abcdJim Bradbury,The Capetians: Kings of France, 987-1328(Hambledon Continuum, London & New York, 2007), p. 41
  18. ^abcdJim Bradbury,The Capetians: Kings of France, 987-1328(Hambledon Continuum, London & New York, 2007), p. 42
  19. ^abDetlev Schwennicke,Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten,Neue Folge, Band II (Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, Marburg, Germany, 1984), Tafel 11
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